Something to Think About
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In my last post, I wrote about how unfair life can appear, and how—if God is love—difficulties still fall on people “just like rain on the good and the bad as the Bible states.” First we need to ask ourselves why we are here? We are here to experience life in all its wonders and failings. We are to learn what it is like to love and be loved. What is it like not to be loved or love. What it is like to be strong and what it is like to be weak. What it is like to be smart or even not so smart. What it is like to be healthy or even sick. Basically we are here to experience what being human is.
It took me many years of personal study and searching to finally begin seeing larger pictures. When I was just following traditional teachings I was curious but did not really pursue deeper understanding. It was not until I was at a crossroads did I dare to tread where I had never dared to tread before. Not everyone will be ready for this, but here it goes anyway:
God is fair. God is loving. God is just.God also gives us free will. God is also so much more advanced in knowledge and wisdom, kind of like comparing us to an ant if even that. I am going to somewhat dive into some basics here on some various beliefs. These are by no means all of them but are some of the main present views in my opinion.
If He were not fair, then life would function more like welfare—gifts handed out without growth—rather than something earned, learned, and matured through experience.
There are various beliefs about how we experience life and the afterlife. I’ll touch briefly on several of them here, and may expand on some of these ideas in future writings. One thing to understand first is that there are reported to be about 4500 differing Christian denominations. This alone should explain a lot as to why there is so much confusion today! Just because someone may believe something does not necessarily make it true. I am not advocating any of the below beliefs, just explaining my understanding of what they are as each person is in charge of what they believe to be true. I have my beliefs and they are personal as you have yours as well.
The first main belief system is that we have just one life, and at the end of it we are judged and sent to either Heaven or Hell, this is the most common and taught by most evangelical Christianity. The Catholic Church adds a third temporary destination called purgatory—a place where one’s soul may be purified. Historically, relatives could give money to the church for prayers to help loved ones out of purgatory. Many of the great cathedrals were funded through this system, and it became one of Martin Luther’s central criticisms during the Reformation.
In this one-life view, a person must not only “get it right” but also because of what is called original sin. The idea of original sin is that Adam and Eve, being the first humans, passed down a fallen nature to all their descendants. Since the biblical story has Adam falling from grace by listening to Eve and eating the forbidden fruit (symbolized by the apple), their sin is said to affect every person born afterward. This led to the belief that even babies carried this sin nature, and unless baptized into the church, they would be barred from Heaven.
But does this fully align with what the Bible itself teaches rather than implies? Scripture speaks of an age of accountability—a point at which a person becomes responsible for their own choices and actions & then needs to be baptized into Christ. This raises an obvious question: What about the millions who never heard, were never taught, or lived in places where Christianity never reached? If God is perfect love and perfectly fair, how does that fit? Does God see the heart and not just the action?
Many evangelists, including Billy Graham, held large crusades encouraging people to say the “Sinner’s Prayer.” Many believe that once saved, always saved—say the prayer, admit you are a sinner who has fallen from grace while accepting Christ as your savior and you’re set for eternity, like a kind of spiritual fire insurance. Under that logic, someone could say the prayer on the street while on their way to rob a bank, commit the robbery, and still be considered eternally secure—answerable only to man’s law, not God’s judgment. Does that truly make sense? Their organization has admitted that most committing their lives to Christ during those crusades fell away again in but a short time with no real heart change to their lives.
So what did Jesus say? One of His key teachings is: “There is no remission of sin without repentance.” And repentance is not just saying words—it means turning around and moving in a different direction, away from sin. It implies real change, not just a quick prayer said once out of fear. Got Questions site about Christianity.
The second main idea is seen through many spiritual teachers, some near-death experiencers, and those guided through hypnotic regression whom speak of a divine framework in which God continually creates new souls. Delores Cannon was famous for discovering hypnotic regression therapy (https://www.qhhtofficial.com/. These souls are represented similar to children: growing, developing, learning. Each lifetime becomes one stage of spiritual development—kind of like moving through different levels of a video game. This they say is why the world is filled with so many individuals in various stages of spiritual and moral growth, Young v-s old souls.
Souls, this belief system states, come into each life with a plan for specific challenges. If they meet those challenges with love and compassion, they progress. If not, the lesson repeats—maybe differently, maybe more intensely—until upward growth takes place.
I’m simplifying, of course. The reality of this belief system is more complex. But there’s one key part to it, we forget before entering this life. Without that veil, it would be like taking a test while already knowing the answers. That’s why listening to our inner voice is so important.
If we lived the teachings that Jesus/Yeshua laid out in the Sermon on the Mount, should we not then find ourselves well prepared for nearly any spiritual challenge no matter what system we cling to? “It is easier said than done, but isn’t it something to consider very deeply?”
Another point to understand is that we are all born with an ego. The ego protects us physically but also distorts. It can become a handicap—something to overcome. This is why tyrants rise, some pastors or priests fall, why politicians seek power for themselves, why people steal or use others and why there are narcissists and those who are passively aggressive. “The ego appears to function this way in all of humanity.” I think this is why the Bible teaches that we must overcome the flesh. You can test your amount of ego by watching yourself when you disagree with someone. Do you immediately go into a strong emotional defense mode? If so then to counter act this just take a few deep breaths and just say something like thats interesting. Not all disagreements need defense, maybe they too are to teach forgiveness and how to just get along with others.
Those whom succumb to the ego in this view may experience the law of sowing and reaping called karma in their next life. If this is true, I would not want to be Hitler in his next incarnation; his debts may take countless lives to work through. What if in the “view of reincarnation and many incarnations” we still do not live in love for others and still only think of ourselves then might our soul just be extinguished? Some views teach this.
What if God leaves the judging to the soul itself once free of the body & its ego? Many accounts suggest this. When a soul returns home after physical death, it undergoes a life review. This review is not punishment—it is understanding. (https://www.lifeafterlife.com/.) The soul re-experiences its life not only through its own eyes but through the emotions of everyone it helped or harmed.
Then, with the guidance of spiritual beings, it plans its next life to work through remaining lessons and karmic debts. One can also choose a difficult life where there are generational curses to attempt to overcome and stop it in mid track.
In the 4th century, under Emperor Justinian, the institutional church removed all teachings of reincarnation and commanded teachers to stop speaking of it. Why? Control possibly? Hell and damnation became the tools for maintaining authority. (https://www.facts-are-facts.com/article/reincarnation-the-churchs-biggest-lie).
Christianity preserved much of the message of Christ, but certain parts were reshaped. Some traditions teach that a single prayer removes all fear of hell. Others teach that membership and ritual ensure salvation. Each denomination develops its own system.
Yet the deeper meaning of Christ’s teachings remains consistent:
There is no remission of sin without repentance.
And what is sin?
Simply “missing the mark.”
But what mark?
The mark of love, compassion, honesty, humility—the very heart of the Sermon on the Mount.
These truths are built into all of us, but many harden their hearts so much that they can no longer hear the still, small voice.
Consider the laws of Moses. Many historians point out that these laws were influenced by earlier Near Eastern codes but reshaped through Israel’s unique spiritual worldview. Inspired? I believe so. But written down by humans—humans with egos—which may color interpretation.
Some believe especially much of the current jewish population that must follow every Mosaic law still possible to follow today or be in sin. If you are convinced then you should follow the spirits leading for your life where you presently are in your spiritual growth. If you feel you should eat according to mosaic law then by all means do it. The word “Torah” means teaching not legal statute. It was guidance for living especially in a specific time, in a specific culture but if one does anything for just the sake of doing it because they think it will save them from the fire in my opinion then they are doing it for the wrong reason. There recently has been a movement called “Hebraic Roots”. I believe there is a deep seated subconscious memory in these believers that goes way back to the beginning for the purpose to retain the purity of the Hebraic bloodline that lead to Christ this is the same for the Jewish population.
If we follow the teachings of Christ, we naturally fulfill the law. But being human, the ego occasionally takes over. So we acknowledge it, repent “which is turn away from it”, and—when possible—make restitution. This clears the sin if it is done with pure intention.
I think a good practice before sleep is to review the day and note anything you may have done or said that hurt someone. Seek forgiveness from God for thoughts, and from others when actions are involved.
Another concept from Sanskrit is Dharma—the things we should do but fail to do. Acts of kindness withheld. Help not offered. These omissions also create spiritual consequences, just like karma. The next time around, you may find yourself in need, and no one stops to help. Whether reincarnation is true or not, the principles of living life by the teachings of Christ works in the prevention of carrying sin to the grave.
Number three. There is another belief system. This one is backed by some scientific quantum research. It is that God is experiencing Himself. “God is Spirit so neither a him or her but for lack of a better word I use Him”. God experiencing the physical realm through the eyes of His creation of which is just like a holographic projection and nothing solid is really solid. This belief is that there is only one mind. This mind is the mind of God but individualized. God or the Source of all things, at the time of the big bang shot out what we call individual soul fragments of Himself and then allowed them each to project or create their own representative life perspective. I really do not understand this as I can only view it from this very limited human view as to me it leaves no room for accountability as after the life ends the soul fragment returns back with no judgement for its actions. From a higher dimensional view who knows? I still keep thinking that if no one was really injured and it was all God himself just experiencing every possible scenario then what is the use in even trying to be a better person, which is beyond my present understanding. On the next post there will be an interview with a scientist explaining this belief.
That’s enough for now. The next one will be loaded with video and book links if you would like to dig deeper.
More in the next post.